Retractable hose-supporting means for lubrication lifts



K. E. HAMMER Nov. 24, 1953 RETRACTABLE HOSE-SUPPORTING MEANS FOR LUBRICATION LIFTS Filed Feb. 4, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVE TOR; MEL E. fifiIV/MEE ATTORNEY Nov. 24, 1953 K. E HAMMER RETRACTABLE HOSE-SUPPORTING MEANS FOR LUBRICATION LIFTS Filed Feb. 4, 19 48 -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I IHIIHH" 15 ea 24 as INVENTOR.

BYMiM ATTOR EV Patented Nov. 24, 1953 acsassv RETRACTABLE HOSE-SUPPORTING MEANS FOR LUBRICATION LIFTS Karl E. Hammer, University City,Mo., assignor to Gray Company, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a. corporation of Minnesota i 1 Application February 4, 19:48, Serial No. 6,326

This invention relates to apparatus for servicing motor vehicles. In garages and service Sta tions it is customary to employ rubber or other flexible hoses connected with sources of supply of servicing fiuids such as lubricants, compressed air and water, and having valves on their free ends to control the fiow of the servicing fluids. Unless these hoses are housed when not in use, they will be constantly in the way of the attendant or service man, who may frequently trip over them, and besides they may be irreparably damaged by contact with sharp tools or edges or by being kinked or driven over, and in many other ways.

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus which will house and protect the service hoses when not in use but will automatically lift the valved ends of the hoses when the vehicle is lifted, so that the attendant may select any one of the hoses and use it without dragging it across a floor or pavement. Another object is to provide hose-lifting means for attachment to any make of car lift or hoist, without necessitating any changes in the construction of the latter. Another object is to provide a hanger for supporting the valved ends of hoses, having means for clamping it to the rails or track of the car lift.v

A further object is to providea hanger of the character indicated which is adjustable to lifts of different dimensions and makes and to different positions relative to the lifts. Another object.

is to provide a cover for a. hose well casing together with automatic means for moving the cover to one side whenever the car lift starts to rise, Another object is to provide a novel arrangement of rollers at the upper end of a hose well casing to obviate wear and damage to the hoses when pulled out of the casing and to make retrieving of the hoses easier. Another object is to provide novel means for detachably supporting the valved ends of hoses. Another object is to house'the supporting means for the valved hose ends within a covered hose well and to provide ai'nember on said supporting means which contacts the cover for the hose well to, move the same to one side when the car lift raises the.

valved hose ends. Other objects will vbe understood from the following description of the pre-. ferred embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings forming. a part of this specification.

",Insaid drawings- Figure'l is a perspective view of part of a car lift,shown raised, with the servicing equipment of thirivention shown associated therewith.

6 Claims. (01. new

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the'car-lift of Figure 1 shown lowered.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the hose well with the valved hose ends therein, the cover being thrown open;

Figure '4 isa vertical section on line 4-4 of Figure 3. I Figure 5 is'a vertical section on line 5--5 of Fig-. ure 4; Figure 6 is a detail in elevation of the preferred means for supporting the valved ends of the hoses. a l I Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 but in end? elevation; Figure 8-is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the upper end of the hose well casing and cover, showing the manner in which the valvedehdsupportingmeans opens the cover, the latter being indicated in dotted lines in thefully open position.

Figure Q is'asection through one of the clamps for securing the hanger adjustably upon the rail of the car lift. I 1

Referring particularly to the drawings, and first to-Figures 1 and 2, a car lift or hoist is shown comprising a hydraulic cylinder C, a plunger P which reciprocates vertically under the influence of hydraulic pressure developed in the cylinder,.'

across-head CRsecured to the upper end of the plunger andextendinghorizontally, and apair of rails Rforming a. track upon which a motor vehicle may be driven when it is desired to service it:-' '-I he construction of such a car lift is so well known as to require no further description. \If

desired, the'car lift maybe of the pneumatic type.

- Cylinder C in'any case is located below the floor E or pavement' and has valve controls (not shown) :at any convenient point to permit the operator to elevate and lower the vehicle.

i To house and protect the servicing hoses tobe described, a hose well casing I0 is supported be-' low the floor F between the rails R. and is of sufiicient'size to receive thefull lengths of the hoses,' and other parts as will be explained. Within the hose well casingare lubricant hoses 23, 25 andi'li and air hose 24-, or-if preferred a water hose (hot shower may alsobe included or substituted for. one oft he other hoses. Referring to Figure 4; the air-hose24 has-a valve 21 on its free end and at itsf-opposite end is secured to a header or fitting a conduit l 9 (concealedbelow floor F) to 'assource ofcompressed air, not. shown. As all the otherhoses 23,15, 26 are connected with the same man- A pipe ner to sources of supply of lubricant, etc. it is deemed unnecessary to show the connections for each. A cover 18 is secured in any suitable way to the top of a closed compartment I4 at the upper end of casing It, and when removed gives access to the headers or fittings in the compartment l4, permitting disconnection of the servicing hoses from their respective supply lines so that the hoses and/or the lines may be blown out or otherwise serviced without spilling any lubricant in that part of the hose well casing in which the hoses are housed.

The casing i8 is preferably a steel box-like structure, rectangular in cross section, with four side walls 5 i, one of which may be shorter than the others to accommodate the closed compartment l i whose bottom 22 may rest on the top edge of said shorter wall, as will be understood without illustration. A plurality of flat panels or partitions is are arranged vertically within the casing to form a plurality of narrow pockets or compartments, one for each servicing hose. Hence each hose is continuously separated so long as it remains in the hose well, and no hose may become fouled with the others. Automatic retracting or retrieving means is provided for each hose to cause the same to be payed out uniformly and to descend into its compartment or p'ocket without kinking, ceiling or catching on any object; but as such means is no part of this invention it is not shown. A piece of sheet steel, bent into a U, is insertedin the top of the easing, with one wall l5 contiguous to a casing wall II and the opposite wall {5 forming also one wall of compartment l4, see Figure 4. The bottom I 6 of the U=shaped insert rests on the top edges of partitions l3. Thus with walls 5 j the U=-shaped insert forms a substantially closed compartment in the top of the hose well casing, in which the valves 56, '5I, 52, 21 of the servicing hoses are housed when the hoses are not in use. Strap-reinforced angle bars I2 preferably rein: force the upper end of this compartment and also help to anchor the hose well casing in the foundation or other support; A cover 35; hinged as at 36 to one of the angles 29, bordering the top of the casing, completely closes the compartment in which the valved hose ends are housed. The bottom wall I6 is perforated to permit travel of the hoses therethrough and soft hollow inserts I6 (Figure )4) may protect the hosesagainst undue wear as they move up anddown through the walls. Hose stops 28, in the form of rubber balls fixed to the hoses justbelow the valves, may strike the bottom wall Hi to prevent further downward movement of the hoses,- and to cush= ion the shock of a sudden stop; obviating injury to the valves.

To support the valved ends of the hoses so that they may be immediately accessible when the car lift has hoisted a car, a hanger and frame assem: bly is supportedon the car lift so as to rise and descend therewith. The hanger may consist of a tube or pipe "32 which extends horizontally slightly below the level of the rails R and is clamped thereon at its opposite ends by clamps one of which is shown in Figure 9.- Each clamp may consist of a rod 59 which is bent at right angles and has a slot eb extending longitudinally to receive a key (not shown) in the end of tube 62 so that the rod is 'slidable in and out of tube 42. Insteadof the splined connection shown. rod 39 may be screw threaded within the tube as will be clear without illustration; The other end of rod ie is a screw threaded as at 40* and is passed loosely through a sleeve 38 integral with a clamp member or jaw 38 The upper end of rod 119 is fixed to a second clamp member or jaw 38. A nut ll threaded on screw threads ls bears against the lower end of sleeve 38 and thus may cause the two jaws of the clamp to approach each other to grip the edge of rail R, as shown. If desired, a stud 39 may be passed through holes drilled in the end of jaw 38 and in the rail edge, thereby to make the connection semi-permanent. The described construction permits the hanger to be clamped to both rails at any desired point, and also permits longitudinal extension or contraction of the hanger, since the rods if! maybe adjusted in and out of the tube 42. This makes it possible to adapt a standardized construction to several different makes of car lifts.

Secured to and depending from tube 42 is a U-shaped frame 43 on which all the valved hose ends are supported. Preferably valve is supported by a roller 45 on the lower end of frame 43 while valve 5! is similarly supported. A pair of prongs 4 may provide asupport for the air hose valve 21. A short cylinder 45, located above the lower end of frame lf supp'orts valve 52. A fiked arm or finger ll extendsat right angles to the general plane 6f frame 53 (which is verti'cal) and provides hover-opening means, cooperating with a liftin -bracket 37 fixed to the underside of cover 35. See Figure 8. In other words, finger 4? is a cam and the lifting-bracket is a cam-follower which is 'so located that the cover starts to openbefore the hose valves can come in contact with the cover Supported on bearing-blocksfsfi are two horizontal rollers 34 on opposite sides of the casting at the top, adjacent to but slightly below the top edges of flanges 29'. Two rollers 33, arranged co-axially but spaced apartas at 3|, Figure 3, are also arranged on each of the two remaining sides ofthe casing at the top, being rotatably mounted at one endin flanges 32 and at the other endin the bearing-blocks 35. The gap or spacing 3| is effect a notch at the to of the casing for receiving tube 42 of the hanger when the hangerha's been fully lowered with the car lift. I The six rollers 34, 33 provide a protection forthe synthetic rubber hoses when they are pulled manually out of the hose well .atan angle to the vertical, and also make such pulling (and retrieving) much easier I 7 From the preceding description the operation of the apparatus will be clear. Assuming that the valved ends of the hoses are a1ways rep1aced on the hanger after each use, they will always rise with the car lift and hh'pe be readily accessible to the service man while he works on the chassis of the vehicle.- However, without hoist-- ing the car, the cover 35 may be opened, exposing the hose compartment as shown in Figure 3, whereupon any one of the hoses may be pulled out manually to service car. When released, the hose will mama-many returnto the hose well, and in both outwardand return movements it will be guided and protected and eased along dierect rolling contact with one of the rollers The described apparatus is particularly advanta'geous in that it does not require a special power lift for the hose ends but employs the car lift, thus effecting an important saving in cost. Another advantage is the fact that the apparatus may be used withany car lift employing two parallel rails for receiving the wheels of a car.

'Ifhehosewellcasing maybeplaced at the'most-- convenient pointbetween the rails,- and wherever it 'is placed,'thehanger can be clamped tothe" track during installation so as to insure vertical rise of the hoses with the lift without wearing contact with the lined perforations in the bottom wall It. The apparatus affords perfect protection to the servicing hoses and their valves, it-

being necessary only to replace the hose ends on the hanger after each use and to close the cover after the serviced car has been driven off all the features of the invention be used con-' jointly since they may be employed in various combinations and sub-combinations.

Having described a preferred embodiment of the invention, what I claim as new and desire t protect by Letters Patent is:

1' 1. Vehicle-servicing apparatus comprising a power-lift adapted to receive a vehicle and to raise it substantially offthe floor, a casing sunk into the floor beneath said power-lift, said casing extending slightly above floor leveland having a plurality of horizontal rollers disposed adjacent its uppermost edge and having a pair of horizontally aligned slots in its uppermost edge, a hinged top door mounted upon said casing, an uppermost compartmentformed within said casing and having anapertured bottom-wall, a plurality of flexible hoses voperatively connected within said casing in extensible side-by-side relationship with the free ends thereof extending into said uppermost compartment through the apertured bottom-wall thereof; stop-means carried by the free ends of said hoses for limiting downward movement thereof relative to said apertured bottom wall, a dispensing nozzle mounted on the free end of each hose and normally disposed in generally upright position within said uppermost compartment, a generally horizontal cross-bar carried by said power-lift and extending generally transversely along the underside thereof, said cross-bar being adapted to enter the slots in said casing when said power-lift is in lowermost position, a generally U-shaped hanger depending from said cross-bar and constructed and arl ranged to extend within said uppermost compartment when said power-lift is in lowermost position, means removably hooking each nozzle to said hanger to lift each nozzle with the hanger when said power-lift is raised so as to maintain said nozzles in proximity to the vehicle being serviced, and cam-means on said top door and said hanger for flipping said top door to open position when said hanger is moved upward from within said compartment.

2. Vehicle-servicing apparatus including a power-lift for receiving and raising a vehicle substantially oif the floor, a compartmented casing sunk in the floor beneath the power-lift, said casing including a lower hose-storage compartment and an upper nozzle-storage compartment, said compartments separated by an apertured wall, a plurality of flexible hoses disposed in the lower compartment and extending through said wall with an end of each hose disposed in the upper compartment, the upper edge of the upper compartment extending above the floor-level and having a cover hingedly secured thereto, a nozzlehanger secured to the underside of the powerlift, 'horizontally aligned verticallyl-extendhig slots'in theside-wall of the upper compartment r between the floor-level and the top of said casing adapted to 'receive'said hanger therein, stops m'eans securedto each hose adjacent the aforesaid end thereof for limiting the downward movement of said hose, a dispensing nozzle secured to the aforesaid end of each hose and concealable within said upper compartment, and connecting means for securing said nozzles to said hanger and supporting said nozzles within the upper compartment when said hanger is disposed in said slots. r

'3; Vehicle-servicing apparatus including a power-lift for receiving and raising a vehicle sub-' stantially off the floor, a compartmented casingsunk'inthe floor beneath the power-lift, said casing including a lower hose-storage compartment and an upper nozzle-storage compartment, said compartments separated by an apertured wall, a

plurality of flexible hoses disposed in the lower compartment and extending through said wall with an end of each hose disposed in the upper c'ompartmentythe upper edge of the upper compartment extending above the .fioor-level and means secured to each hose adjacent the afore-' said end thereof for limiting the downward movement of said hose, a dispensing nozzle se-f cured 'to the aforesaid end of each hose and concealable within said upper compartment, and connecting means for securing said nozzles to said hanger and supporting said nozzles within the upper compartment when said hanger is disposed in said slots, said hanger adapted to open said casing by lifting said cover and to elevate said nozzles and hoses when said power-lift is raised whereby to maintain said nozzles in proximity to the vehicle being serviced.

4. Vehicle-servicing apparatus including a power-lift for receiving and raising a vehicle substantially off the floor, a compartmented casing sunk in the floor beneath the power-lift, said casing including a lower hose-storage compartment and an upper nozzle-storage compartment, said compartments separated by an apertured wall, a plurality of flexible hoses disposed in the lower compartment and extending through said wall with an end of each hose disposed in the upper compartment, the upper edge of the upper compartment extending above the floor-level and having a cover hingedly secured thereto, a nozzlehanger secured to the underside of the power-lift, horizontally aligned vertically-extending slots in the side-wall of the upper compartment between the floor-level and the top of said casing adapted 5. Vehicle-servicing apparatus including a power-lift for receiving and raising a vehicle substantially ofithe floor, a compartmented casing sunk i-nthe floor beneath the power-lift, said casing including a lower hose-storage compartment and an upper nozzle-storage compartment, said compartments separated by an aperturedwall, a plurality of flexible hoses disposed in the lower compartment and extending through said wall with an end of each hose disposed in the upper compartment, the upper edge of the upper compartment extending above the floorlevel and having a cover hingedly secured thereto, a nozzle-hanger secured to the underside of the power-lift, horizontally aligned vertically-extending slots in theside-wall ofthe upper compartmen-t between the floor-level and the top of said casing adapted to receive said hanger therein, stop-means secured to each hose adjacent the aforesaid end thereof for limiting the downward movement of said hose, a dispensing nozzle secured to the aforesaid end of each hose and concealable within said upper compartment, and connecting means for securing said nozzles to said hanger and supporting said nozzles Within the upper compartment when said hanger is disposed in said slots, a plurality of hose-guides secured to said casing between the upper edge of the upper compartment and said floor-level fd'r guiding said hoses across the casing-edge.

6. Vehicle-servicing apparatus including a power-liftinr receiving and raising a vehicle substantially ofi the floor, a compartmented casing sunk in the floor beneath the power-lift, said casing including a lower hose-storage com partment and an upper nozzle-storage compartment, said compartments separated by an aperturedwall, a plurality of flexible hoses disposed in the lower compartment and extending" through.

said wall with an end of each hose disposed in the upper compartment, the upper edge of the upper compartment extending above the floorlevel and having a cover hingedly secured thereto, a nozzle-hanger secured to the underside of the power-lift, horizontally aligned vertically-extending slots in the side-Wall of the upper compartment between the floor-level and the top of said casing adapted to receive said hanger therein, stop-means secured to each hose adjacent the aforesaid end thereof for limiting the downward movement of said hose, a dispensing nozzle secured to the aforesaid end of each hose and coneealable within said upper compartment, and connecting means for securing said nozzles to said hanger and supporting said nozzles within the upper compartment when said hanger is disposed in said slots, said hanger having a portion thereof disposed beneath the floor-level within said upper compartment when said hanger is disposed in said slots.

I KARL E. HAMMER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number V Name Date 1,030,410 Kees i June 25, 1912 1,821,724 Rinehart -i Sept. 1, 1931 1,929,986 Mayo "a; Oct. 10, 1933 2,423,954 Thompson July 15, 1947 2,430,608 Ginter NOV. 11, 1947 

